Saving Grace
by sweetkiwi604
Summary: Grace Winchester is your typical college student. So, when her older brothers, Dean and Sam, suddenly show up at her dorm talking about a werewolf on the loose and she wakes up to find herself in an unknown place things start to turn upside down. And that's just the beginning. Co-written with the lovely SPNxBookworm.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: We don't own anything having to do with Supernatural only Grace belongs to SPNxBookworm and me.**

**Here we were talking about stories that we wanted to write in the future and she says "So, I was thinking about…" and lo and behold I had already started what was meant to be a one shot with the same topic! Since we were on the same wavelength we decided to write this together and it has now been turned into a short mini-series, probably only three chapters. **

**Just a warning before you jump into this collaboration, this is going to be different than the other fics we have written together and there will be a tragic ending and we will have a trigger warning for the last chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

Saving Grace

Grace Winchester massaged her temples with the tips of her fingers in hopes of relieving the headache that was keeping her from the term paper that was waiting to be started. She had been confident in her ability to get her point across, to be able to articulately argue her opposition on the topic, and get it handed in early but then her mind went completely blank as she sat in front of her laptop. The new document's blinding white page intensified the pain behind her eyes and the ever blinking curser seemed to mock her that the only two words typed were her name.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips when there was a knock on her dorm room door. She set her laptop on the overturned cardboard box she used as a coffee table and made sure her bathrobe was tied securely around her. Another knock came, this time a little more urgent, "I'm coming!" She swung the door open, half expecting it to be the R.A. reprimanding her for her playing her music too loudly again, but froze in her spot when she saw her brothers. "Hi! What're you doing here?!"

"Apparently saving your awesomeness," Dean replied sarcastically as he pulled a pencil out of her hair causing it to cascade over her shoulders and she gave each of them a hug in greeting.

Grace then rolled her eyes and motioned to her laptop, "I'm working on my term paper."

Sam sat down on the futon that served both as her couch and her bed eager to see what topic she had been working on. He blinked a few times and then raised an eyebrow, "All you have is your name."

"Well, I'm _supposed_ to be working on my term paper," she corrected and sat next to him. "But, now that you're here I can take a break."

"That's my girl," Dean clapped his hand against her shoulder and rummaged through the small personal refrigerator that only consisted of a few cans of soda and something that used to be food but could now be considered Darwinism. He almost had a full pout on his face as he closed the door, "There's no pie."

Sam had caught a glimpse of the bare refrigerator and his chest tightened in worry, "Gracie, you've been eating, right?"

"Duh," she sighed and chucked her thumb over her shoulder in Dean's direction. "I have his appetite, remember? I've just been too busy to go grocery shopping so I'll either order in," she nodded to her overflowing trash can of take-out containers. "Or I grab a quick sandwich from the café."

Dean ruffled through a few of her papers, her music collection, and a pile of her clothes before he huffed in annoyance that there wasn't anything for him to playfully scold her about. Finally, looking at his sister for the first time since they'd been in the small dorm his eyebrows furrowed together, "What're you wearing?"

She looked down at herself clad in cotton pajamas with a bathrobe overtop to keep her warm and then shrugged not knowing what he was talking about. He tapped his nose and it suddenly hit her that she was still wearing her glasses. Grace quickly removed them from her face, folded them up and hid them in her lap. "They're just for reading."

Sam shot his brother an incredulous glare and Dean realized that his sister was ashamed to have to wear them. He cursed himself for speaking before thinking he was just shocked to see her with glasses for the first time. They had just visited a couple months ago, hadn't they?

"So, you guys here for the debate?" she questioned with a hopeful expression. Grace knew what the 'family business' was and that it came before everything else but at the thought of her brothers dropping everything to see her debate on Thursday was beyond exciting. Everything else in her life had been put on hold so she could prepare. She had post-it notes on the front of her small refrigerator, a stack of multi-colored index cards so she had a rebuttal for any argument made, and had spent the last four days at the campus library until it closed.

Sam's, as well as Dean's, heart shattered when they realized they both had totally forgotten about the debate she had told them about when they called last week to check in. Their calls was something that she came to cherish ever since she had been mugged a few months back but there was no way she'd ever tell her brothers. She was a Winchester after all and should have been able to protect herself. She even promised herself that after this semester was over she'd enroll in some kickboxing classes to sharpen her skills but there was too much work to be done right now. Their silence was her answer though and she tried to hide her disappointment.

Dean cleared his throat, "Caught wind of a werewolf in the area."

Grace looked in between her brothers the shock clearly written across her features. "Really?" she asked, astonished.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck tiredly, "Yeah." His eyes shot back to his sister and a frown formed on his lips, "Wait, you don't hear anything about this?"

Grace shook her head slowly clearly showing her confusion and Dean's frown deepened. Wouldn't she have at least noticed the deaths that had made the front page?

Sam gave Dean a pointed look, thinking the exact same thing. "Have you been reading the newspaper these past few days? Or maybe even surfing it on the internet?"

Grace sighed as she massaged her head again, the exhaustion taking a toll on her. "Not really. At least, not for a like a week or two. It's just, we had this crap load of homework dumped on us last minute and I've been working on it every night on top of preparing for the debate. And this term paper is the last one to be handed in so…" she trailed off with an uncomfortable look on her face. Even if she'd left the life she should have been cautious and not making excuses because of something so mundane as homework. A thought suddenly occurred to her and she sat upright with a horror struck expression on her face. "Wait," she choked out, piecing together the pieces in her head. "Are you talking about the deaths of the two students and that teacher from my university?"

Sam rested his elbows on his knees. "Yeah. We thought it seemed odd that the newspaper was only stating they were killed with brute force. So we made it here and talked to the coroner. The hearts were ripped out of their chests and we checked; the lunar cycle lines up."

Grace slowly put a hand up to her face as tears welled up in her eyes. How did she not realize this? Karen was dead…because of a werewolf. "Oh my God," she whispered.

Alarmed looks appeared on the brothers' faces as Grace zoned out with silent tears running races down her cheeks. "Hey, Gracie. Come on, look at me," Dean prodded gently, but firmly, as he rested a comforting hand on her knee. Grace slowly looked to her eldest brother who was crouched in front of her. "Do you know something?"

Grace took a few breaths to calm her racing heart. She couldn't believe she didn't realize this before. "Uh, yeah. One of the students who died, Karen Morgan…she was supposed to be my first opponent for the debate. And uh, they never told us what happened. Like, the stuff about the heart missing. And since I hadn't read the news reports for the past few days…Oh my God!" Grace broke down and clung to her brothers.

Dean and Sam both shared a broken a look. Both knew what it was like to feel the guilt of not being able to save someone. They let their sister cry and their hearts shattered even further at the sound of her broken sobs.

"I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't-" Grace stammered as she heaved in large breaths, trying to get a grip on herself.

"Hey, don't apologize, Gracie. It's why we're here," Sam assured as he rubbed small circles on her back. "We'll look for the bastard that did this, okay? You just concentrate on your term paper and everything."

Grace sniffed and nodded.

"How about you get some sleep and we're going to head back to our motel," Dean suggested as he used the cuff of his sleeve to wipe away the remainder of her tears.

"No. You can stay here. I can clear up some-" Grace started to get up and move things around but Dean stopped her.

"No, sweetheart. It's okay. We paid for the rooms anyway. You take care of yourself, you hear?" Dean warned with a finger pointed in her direction. Grace smiled sadly and nodded as her brothers left.

She sighed as she walked over to her laptop and flipped it close. She could work on the term paper tomorrow. She took off her bathrobe and flopped onto her futon, pulling a blanket over top of her. Her brothers were here, they'd fix everything; they'd find Karen's killer.

**SUPERNATURAL**

Sam groaned as the shrill ring of a phone cut through his blissful sleep. "Dean, pick up the phone," he croaked his voice still heavy with sleep. He smirked as he heard Dean curse and sighed when the incessant ringing cut off.

"Agent Ford," Dean answered the phone. After a few seconds Dean sat straight up in bed. "What?" he snapped as he tried to keep the worry out of his tone. "Okay, thank you," he said before ending the call and getting out of bed.

"Hey, Sasquatch. Wake up," Dean smacked the side of Sam's leg as he passed the bed on the way to the bathroom. "Another teacher was killed last night."

Sam bolted straight up, much like his brother had done moments before, and untangled himself from his bed cover. Guilt washed over him. Yet another person dead. He knew Dean was silently thinking the same thing but he dreaded having to tell his sister. It might not have been their fault but every second they spent not looking for this thing, a human life was at risk, and the only part of the job that mattered was saving people.

He sighed as he rummaged through his duffel for his fake FBI badge and suit. He had just laid his suit out when his own phone started to ring. He hurried over to pick it up and stiffened in shock when he heard the voice on the other end.

"Grace?!" he exclaimed the concern creasing up his forehead as he listened to his sister's terrified voice. Dean immediately stepped out of the bathroom as he heard Sam call out his sister's name.

"What?" he demanded. "What's going on?" Sam shushed him and sent him a glare as he tried to get him to be quiet. Dean snatched the phone away from him and put in on speaker.

"Gracie? What's wrong?" Dean asked worriedly.

They heard a breath hitch on the other end and the faint sound of a sob before she answered, "I…I don't know."

"Alright, I want you to take a deep breath," Dean instructed as he shared a look with Sam. "Can you do that for me?" He paused and listened as she inhaled a shaky breath and then exhaled it slowly. "That's my girl. Now tell me exactly what happened."

"I…I went to bed last night and…I…I'm not in my room. Dean, I don't know where I am!" She cried into the phone as she got herself worked up again. "And I'm…Dean, I'm covered in blood!"

Both brothers almost lost their footing and Sam was the first to find his voice. "What?! Are you hurt?"

"No. I don't think so," Grace whispered with the fear seeping through. "Guys, I'm scared! I don't know where I am and I'm covered in blood and…what's going on?!" she yelled helplessly as she started to freak out.

"Grace, calm down. Turn your GPS on and I'll track your phone. I'll find you, I promise. Just calm down and take another deep breath for me." He waited to hear her do as she was told. "Alright, sweetheart, hold on. I'll be there in no time. We'll figure everything out," Dean soothed. He heard Grace's small 'okay' before he cut the phone and looked to Sam.

"You go find out about the victim. I'll go find Grace," he ordered. Sam nodded and rushed to the bathroom to get freshened up while Dean opened up their laptop to scan Grace's phone location.

What the hell was going on?

**SUPERNATURAL**

Dean located his sister on the opposite end of town huddled on a park bench. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and was slightly rocking herself back and forth. He had barely cut the engine of the Impala before he leapt from the car and jogged over to where she was.

"Grace," he called out trying to get her attention and as she slowly raised her eyes to meet his she broke down all over again. He slipped onto the bench next to her and pulled her into his chest with one hand in her hair and the other wrapped around her back. "Shh, you're alright."

Dean held onto his sister as she clung onto his shirt like it was her lifeline and started sobbing. He tried to erase the image of her rocking back and forth on the bench out of his mind. He'd never seen Grace look so vulnerable before. She had always been the tough girl who always stood up for herself without any help whatsoever from either of her brothers so seeing her in this state right now worried the eldest Winchester. After a few minutes, Grace sniffed and dried her eyes hastily with the back of her hand before pulling away. As her feet hit the pavement Dean could clearly see the amount of blood that had soaked into her clothes and felt nauseous. She picked up on his horrified expression and slightly shook her head, "I'm not hurt just freaked out."

"Come on," he helped her up from the bench and kept his arm around her shoulders as he guided her towards the Impala. "Let's get you back to the dorm so you can get cleaned up."

Dean felt her shake her head quickly, "Can't I just go to your motel room? I don't want…I mean if anyone sees…I can't…"

"Alright," Dean squeezed her shoulder in hopes of calming her down again and opened the passenger door for her. "We are going to figure this out, Gracie, and everything will be as good as rain you'll see."

Grace wanted to believe her eldest brother, he certainly had never steered her wrong before, but there was a knot in the pit of her stomach that just wouldn't go away. Things didn't seem 'as good as rain' from where she was standing. They were in the car for a few minutes before she spoke again. She cleared her throat to make sure the words would come out, "Where's Sam?"

Dean glanced over to his sister who looked years younger than she really was and returned his eyes to the road, "He's taking care of something. He'll meet us back at the room."

"There was another one last night, wasn't there?" Grace's bottom lip trembled but she swallowed her tears and crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you…" she trailed off and took a deep breath before she could continue. "De, do you think I'm mixed up in this?" she asked, voicing the one thing that had been nagging her ever since she woke up to find herself in a deserted park with blood covering her clothes.

"Don't start talking like that, you hear me?" Dean spoke with such conviction it was hard to doubt him.

Ashamed she glanced out the passenger side window. "People are dying, Dean, and I'm covered in blood. In any other case we wouldn't even be questioning it," she whispered.

Dean's grip tightened on the steering wheel and he shifted ever so slightly in his seat, "This isn't any other case. We'll get back to the motel room and Sam will have answers for us, you'll see."

Dean prayed his brother would have some answers because at this very moment he was just as scared as Grace was.

**SUPERNATURAL**

Grace was thankful to see that Sam was still out when they entered the motel room. She truly loved both her brothers but right now, she just needed time to process what the hell was going on. She didn't need _both_ her overprotective brothers fussing over her. It seemed selfish, but she couldn't help and sigh as she walked over on shaky legs and sat down on the bed at the far end of the room.

Dean's resolve wavered slightly seeing the lost, fearful look on his sister's face. He shut the motel room door behind him and walked over to his duffel; searching for anything that could fit Grace for the time being until they could get a few of her clothes back from her dorm. He rummaged around a little before pulling out and AC/DC shirt that was too small for him and Grace's old track pants that she'd left when she'd fought with her father and had run off to university. That seemed like a different lifetime now when all she would think about was getting away from the 'family business'.

"Here," Dean said, handing over the clothes to her sister. "Wear these for the time being. I'll get your clothes from your dorm later. There's towels in the bathroom and soap is on the lower most shelf under the showerhead."

Grace smiled in spite of herself seeing her eldest brother's caring streak burst forth. She'd missed this a lot. She silently shuffled over to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Dean let out a shaky breath before sitting on his bed closest to the door. He ran a hand over his face as he let his walls crumble a little as Grace's words replayed in his mind like a broken record.

_De, do you think I'm mixed up in this?_

He wanted to believe so bad that Grace had nothing to do with what was going on. But his baby sister was right. They wouldn't even be questioning the possibility if it was someone else.

Things just didn't add up.

What the hell was going on?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The crime scene wasn't far from the motel so Sam decided to walk thinking it'll help him burn off some of the worry that was inevitably making its presence known. Sam frowned as he thought about his baby sister. He couldn't shake off the feeling that she was somehow involved in this and in a major way. And that feeling terrified him.

The younger Winchester didn't even realize that he'd crossed the house of the teacher that had been murdered and he cursed himself as he jolted out of his thoughts and back tracked towards the house.

Even after all this time, seeing bodies torn apart wasn't something you ever got used to. Sam took a deep breath and steeled himself, putting on his confident FBI officer stance as he walked up to the yellow crime scene tape and flashed his badge to the guard on duty. After being let in, Sam's eyes surveyed the crime scene.

The room didn't look too worse for the wear except for a slashed sofa and a few claw marks on the front door as well as the wall near which the victim lay dead in a pool of blood.

Sam cleared his throat to announce his presence making the sheriff glance towards him. Sam hid his smirk on seeing the relief on the sheriffs' face.

"Agent Will," the sheriff greeted.

Sam nodded, "What happened?"

Sheriff Blake sighed as he explained, "Same as the last three deaths. A hardly identifiable struggle before the killer or whatever did his or her job. And as always, the heart is missing."

Sam nodded, feeling slightly guilty. They should have been able to prevent another death from occurring. "Info on the victim?" he inquired, looking down at the dead male.

Sheriff sighed in exhaustion before saying, "His name's Mark Reed; age forty five. He was a teacher at the local university; taught Criminal Justice. No prior police record."

Sam's brow furrowed in frustration. There had to be something linking the victims together or was this just a random werewolf attack? Just random killings to quench its hunger?

"Any witnesses? Did anyone happen to see anything at all?" Sam asked, hoping there would be at least _something_ to make their jobs a little easier because right now they were grasping at straws.

Sheriff Blake frowned for a minute before nodding. "Actually, yeah," he pointed behind Sam to a girl who looked to be in her early twenties and most likely a student at the university. "She said she saw a female exit the house and run off towards the local park."

Sam thanked the sheriff and walked over to the girl who sat on a small stool near the front door.

"Hi there," Sam greeted as he neared the girl. "What's your name?"

The girl looked up and smiled a little. "Hey. I'm Taylor. You seem a lot nicer than the other cops," she commented.

Sam huffed out a laugh as he kneeled down in front of her. "Say, you didn't happen to see anyone around here last night, did you?"

Taylor nodded. "My mom lives near the local university where I study and yesterday was her birthday. I wanted to surprise her and went over to celebrate. I think it was around two a.m. when I finally left and was walking back towards campus. I was a few feet from Mr. Reed's place when I saw this…this…_girl_ run out the door covered in blood and head off towards the local park. It scared the shit out of me. I mean, if what they're saying is true and that the hearts are missing…how the hell can a girl do that? It's a human being for God sake," she exclaimed.

Sam listened intently before asking. "Did you see what she looked like?"

Taylor nodded again but this time frowned a bit. "I guess. I mean, it was dark and I didn't get a good look but I'm almost positive she's a student at the university."

"How can you be so sure?"

Taylor shrugged. "I think I've seen her in one of my classes. When she ran, I saw as much as I could of her under one of the street lamps she passed. I don't think I could forget how someone looked especially when they were covered in blood even if I wanted to," she shuddered at the image. "Anyway, she had blonde wavy hair and was probably about five foot six in height. I'm almost positive she was in her night clothes too."

A knot formed in Sam's stomach as Taylor described who she saw. His brows knitted as he tried to convince himself that he was over thinking it all. There was no possible way for the descriptions to fit Grace as well as they did. Blonde, five-seven; the description, although vague, pieced together too well with her frantic call that morning where she'd panicked, saying she'd found herself in an unknown location whilst covered in blood, still clad in her pajamas.

Yet, Sam refused to believe that it _was_ Grace. His baby sister was no closer to being a werewolf than he was. Call it instincts but the worry that surged through him only urged his desire to find her onward. Steadying himself with a deep breath he questioned Taylor. "Okay. Did you see the girl's face? Were there any marks making for an easy identification?"

Running a hand through her vibrant, copper hair, Taylor's eyes flicked downward as she tried to remember. Slightly shaking, she vaguely felt as though she were living in a nightmare, unable to wake. "Um, yeah, " she quietly began answering. "I think," her teeth latched onto her thin lower lip, pulling until the pink turned as pale as her skin. "I'm pretty sure there was a tattoo, on her neck. It looked like it could be a flower, but I can't be sure. It was like a rose, I guess."

The words impacted him like a hard hit to the stomach. Straightening himself, he quickly thanked the girl for her cooperation and left her with a card, asking for her to call if there were any more things she could provide him with. Sam hurried towards the motel just reaching the corner in time to see Grace walk in before Dean followed her and shut the door. He'd give his sister some time before he told her what he had found. He'd need to explain his theory to Dean before he went to the university. And by the knot in his own stomach he knew his brother wasn't going to take the news lightly.

Sam couldn't even bring himself to believe it but if by any chance this was Grace then it couldn't be ignored. He was almost hoping at this point that there were more than one college girls with a tattoo of a rose on their neck. He remembered the uproar it had caused when she came back to the motel room with it the one day and a sad smile pulled at the corner of his lips at the memory.

Could his baby sister really be a werewolf?

**SUPERNATURAL**

Dean watched in amazement as Grace curled up by the window in the motel room with a ratty old book. She was more like Sam than she would ever admit to but it warmed the eldest Winchester's heart. He didn't want her to be like him. He wanted her to put herself before the supernatural line of work, he wanted her to form lasting relationships with people, but above all he didn't want her to be like him because Dean wanted her to be happy. After everything they had seen and been through together she would still square her shoulders and hold her head high, not willing to let the world bring her down. As far back as he could remember Grace had a certain presence about her that had everyone in the room tuning in to see what she would say.

When she was five she would talk about these fantasy lands with princes and princesses. There was an older, distinguished, hunter that would swoop in and save the damsel in distress from the wicked witch. When she was twelve the stories became more detailed orientated; there were no more princes or princesses but Gods and goddesses. He'd like to think it had to do with her researching lore but he knew it was her escape because even when she was looking up how to take out a pagan god it was still all a story.

While Dean spent their road trips with music blaring and playing pranks on Sam, Grace could always be found in the backseat with her nose stuck in a book and head in the clouds. He'd tease her that she was a geek and that if she didn't put the book down once in awhile he was going to start calling her Samantha but in actuality he envied her love of reading. It seemed that even after all these years, the countless visits, and endless phone calls, that nothing calmed her mind more than a good book.

"Whatcha readin'?" Dean questioned, happy to see her in normal, non-bloody clothes and an almost tranquil expression on her face.

She sighed and dog-eared the page she had been on before closing it. "Just a classic."

"What's it about?" He asked casually as he sat on the end of the bed closest to her, his elbows resting on his knees.

Her fingers traced the title before she set it on the small table. "It doesn't matter. I can't read it without my glasses anyway."

Dean's face flashed with confusion and he couldn't help himself when he asked, "But you were just reading, weren't you?"

"I've read this book about a million times. I could probably recite it in my sleep," she let out a little chuckle before crossing her arms over her chest and becoming serious. "Do you really want to sit here and talk about some book? You don't have to pretend to be interested, De. You can ask me what you're really thinking. You want to know what's going on."

Dean exhaled slowly not really sure what to say at first. If he was being honest, he was actually interested in whatever book she was reading. He wanted to see her eyes light up like they did every time she talked about fictional characters and far away lands. He was thrilled that she was able to get lost in a world where any demons were easily slain by the hero and there was always a happy ending.

He'd never let her in on that little secret though so instead he ran a hand over his face. "You don't need to worry about that. Sam and I will handle everything and before you know it, you'll be back to writing papers on saving the planet or whatever crap you college kids are into these days. What is it now? Saving trees? The rain forest? Lemme guess some bug that had a name I can't pronounce is going extinct and if it does the world will end."

There it was, the small smile he had been hoping to see, pulling at the corners of her lips.

Sam would come back with answers and everything would work out. It had too because he had failed at saving Sam from heartache and he would be damned if he didn't protect Grace from the same thing.

**SUPERNATURAL**

Dean, as much as he wanted to keep watch over Grace that night, had gone to the university. It seemed that it was the only link all of the victims had and he was hoping he'd be able to stop something terrible from happening again tonight. Not to mention it was easier sneaking around in the dark, it gave him more freedom to look around and find out what the hell was going on.

Sam had returned earlier that evening, after inquiring with her teachers and friends, with a bag of clothes from Grace's room along with her glasses and laptop so she would have something to distract herself with. At this point he was ready to make up some assignment just so she could get her mind on something other than worry.

Grace had seemed a little confused with her brothers' behavior since they both were acting like nothing had happened. At least, they weren't discussing it around her and she knew something was up but whenever she tried to catch her brothers talking they would immediately clam up or change the subject entirely.

She sighed as she walked back from the diner with their dinner in hand to see Dean climb into the Impala and drive off. Sam looked across the street and spotted her, smiled before heading into the room and leaving the door open for her.

"I have the weirdest family," Grace muttered to herself as she shuffled towards their motel room.

**SUPERNATURAL**

A low growl woke Sam from his spot in the chair he had fallen asleep in. He blinked a few times trying to orient himself before they snapped open in shock at the sight before him. Grace's once kind and beautiful eyes were now full of fury as her nails grew and her teeth changed. Sam didn't know what to do for a moment and froze in his spot until she made a move for the door. When he went to stop her she slashed his cheek making three long gashes that started to bleed instantly. He didn't seem to notice it at that very second since he was more concerned about keeping her in the room where she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else. Seeing his sister so animalistic had his mind reeling and as she made another move for the door he nicked her arm with a silver knife. Grace retracted her arm with a hiss of pain and with her distracted for a brief second he lured her into the bathroom. The moment the door was closed he pushed the dresser in front of it to make sure she wouldn't be able to get out. His heart shattered the same time he heard the glass from the mirror hit the linoleum floor.

There was no denying it.

Grace Winchester was a werewolf.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the delay. Last chapter. Hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Dean quietly made his way into the motel room expecting at least his sister to be asleep but stopped short when he saw the cuts on Sam's face and no Grace in sight. "What the hell happened?" He all but demanded, closing the door behind him and striding into the room.

Sam's face fell as he swallowed hard and motioned to the bathroom, "It's Gracie, Dean."

"What is?" Dean questioned, mentally kicking himself for leaving in the first place. The pieces started falling in place quicker than his mind could handle and he rubbed a tired hand over his face not wanting to accept the information. "No, Sam, she can't-"

"What do we do?" Sam cut him off, sounding more broken than Dean had ever heard him before. His brother didn't answer as he paced the small room. "Dean," Sam tried again.

Dean stopped short, his anger towards the situation suddenly all on his brother, "We figure it out!"

Dean felt guilty the moment he saw Sam startle at his outburst. Trying to compose himself, he ran a hand over his face again. "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to…" he trailed off.

"It's alright," Sam said softly. Dean looked up at him and he couldn't bear seeing the agonized look on his younger brother's face. There was only one question in his eyes.

_What do we do? _

Dean knew the truth as much as Sam did. If it all went too far, they wouldn't have any choice other than to –

"No," Dean voiced out loud. No way was he even going to think of it. He was supposed to protect his sister and brother. And that's exactly what he was going to do.

Sam looked puzzled and Dean sat down next to him at the foot of the bed. "We can still do something. We can figure something out. Maybe Bobby will have an answer."

All the anger came rushing back as Sam turned to Dean with a defeated expression. "Dean, I don't think-"

"No, Sam!" He cut him off before he had the chance to continue his statement. "She's our sister and she deserves a chance. She gets the benefit of the doubt. Once it's morning we'll head over to Bobby's. We'll figure it out."

Saying so, Dean got to his feet and walked over to his duffel. After rummaging about for a few minutes he got out their first aid kit and headed back to Sam.

Sam sat silently as Dean tended to his wounds.

Truth be told, he agreed with Dean. As much as his mind kept telling him there was no way out, his heart yearned with hope, just wishing and praying that there would be a way to save his sister.

**SUPERNATURAL**

Bobby looked out the window as he heard the familiar rumble of the Impala draw near. Pulling the curtains aside, he smiled seeing his three adopted kids climb out.

He'd been thoroughly bewildered when he'd gotten a call from Dean at around two a.m. asking if they could come over in a few hours. Bobby hadn't missed the urgency in Dean's tone and had replied saying that they could come over anytime they wanted.

As the three siblings walked towards Bobby's front door, Bobby frowned as he assessed them. Dean and Sam looked tired, bags under their eyes, worry etched into their features. The claw marks on Sam's face made Bobby's blood boil, wanting to kill the person that dared tried to hurt him.

And between them was Grace looking confused and out of place.

Trying not to think about what could have happened, Bobby walked over to the door and opened it just in time for Dean, Sam and Grace to enter.

"Hey, Bobby," Dean greeted as he walked in, Sam doing the same and Grace giving him a small hug.

Bobby smiled back and watched as the Winchesters made themselves at home, going to their usual rooms to freshen up. As he walked into his kitchen to start making coffee, he just hoped that everything was alright.

**SUPERNATURAL**

Sam and Dean sat across Bobby on the couch, waiting patiently for Bobby to understand what they were trying to get across. Obviously trying to tell your father figure that your little sister was a werewolf was not going to come across well.

"How?" Bobby asked after a few minutes of tense silence.

Dean shrugged, looking just as devastated as Sam and Bobby. "We're not sure. Bobby…it's like she doesn't know. When we got her out of the bathroom today morning, she looked…" Dean trailed off, trying to shake the memory from his mind.

Sam gave his brother a reassuring look before continuing, "She looked scared, Bobby. She asked us how there were scratches on the walls. She asked how I got this," Sam motioned to the still healing scars on his face.

"We don't know what to do. We can't just…" Dean got to his feet, running an agitated hand through his hair. "She's our sister, Bobby. We can't just put a silver bullet through her heart. There has to be something, right?" Dean asked, looking helpless.

Bobby's expression turned grim as he answered, "I don't know, Dean. I've never heard of something like this."

"So you suggest we just gank her?!" Dean yelled indignantly.

"Calm down, boy. I didn't say that. But we need to be careful. Grace is not human anymore, Dean. Even if she doesn't know, we need to take precautions. And first thing is telling her about it."

Dean immediately shook his head. "How the hell are we gonna tell her, Bobby?" he asked. His voice turned mocking as he said, "Hey, Grace. Guess what? You're a goddamn werewolf."

"I'm a what?" came a small voice from behind him that made his blood run cold.

All three men in the room turned around to spot Grace, shock written clear across her face as her hands hung limply at her sides.

"Gracie," Sam coaxed as he walked forward. But Grace held up her hand. Sam tried not to notice how it seemed to be trembling.

"What's going on?" Grace asked, making sure to keep her distance from the three of them. "I want the truth. Did I hear right? I'm a…werewolf?"

The silence in the room gave her the answer. She stumbled back a few steps, shaking her head.

"Grace," Sam tried again.

"NO!" she yelled, not wanting to hear how everything was going to be okay this time. There was nothing either brother or Bobby was going to say or do to make this better and she was just happy her father wasn't around to see what his daughter turned into. "How…but…oh my God, I did that to you," she whispered, pointing to the scars on Sam's face as her eyes shined with unshed tears.

"It wasn't you," Sam tried again to take a step closer but she mirrored his movement and took a step back.

Her eyes flashed over to Dean's for a second before landing back on Sam's. "Wasn't it? Were…werewolf," she stumbled over the word, "or not I did that. I could have…" she swallowed hard as a tear slipped down her cheek. "I could have killed you."

"But you didn't," Dean spoke up as he tried to keep his expression reassuring and not sympathetic. He moved towards her and this time she didn't take a step back. "What happened, Gracie? I think I would have remembered you wolfing out once a month."

Sam shot him a look for his dry humor but kept his mouth shut as he returned his attention to Grace and waited for her answer. She crossed her arms over her chest as she glanced down at the floor. "I got mugged."

"What? When?" Sam questioned as both brothers hackles visibly rose by the thought of someone hurting their sister.

She shrugged, "A couple months back. Idiot bit the back of my shoulder. I was so grossed out and pissed at myself that I let someone get the jump on me that I didn't really think about it." She looked past her brothers to catch Bobby's line of sight. "I'm sorry."

"We'll figure something out, darlin'," Bobby gave her a tight smile that was supposed to calm all her fears but she had been around the old hunter long enough to know that he was lying.

She cleared her throat, "Should…should I sleep in the panic room tonight?"

Dean shook his head, "Last night was the last night in the lunar cycle. You'll be fine to sleep in your room."

"You mean you guys will be fine," she frowned, giving them all one last look before heading up to her room.

Grace might have been in college but that didn't mean she had forgotten everything her father had taught her over the years. If there truly was some sort of cure then Bobby would have heard about it. She had no other choice but to take matters into her own hands, the thought of killing someone, of hurting one of her brothers, was too much to bear. She wouldn't be locked up in the panic room once a month like some prisoner to this curse because she knew that there would come a day that she got out. So instead she sat in her room for a bit until she got a plan sorted out.

Creeping down the stairs, she heard Bobby let out a long breath, "I just don't think there's a way to fix this one, boys."

She swallowed her emotions knowing it was true but Dean's words had her frozen in her spot. "You don't kill family just because they have one foot out the door."

There wasn't anything else to say or do. Dean wasn't going to let Sam or Bobby end her misery so she would have to do it herself. Stealing her emotions like the Winchester she was she entered the kitchen, pretending to not have heard anything that was just said.

**X-X-X**

This was it. She had to do it here because she couldn't stand thinking about her brothers hearing the shot go off. The old clunker she borrowed from Bobby was parked alongside the lake, music playing softly from the tinny radio, as she reached over to the passenger seat for the gun.

They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die but Grace tried not to think about. She tried to forget the little army men Sam stuffed into the ashtray in the backseat of the Impala. She tried to forget the first time Dean wore their father's leather jacket and the new sense of responsibility that came with it. She tried to forget her dad's constant pleas to stay safe, his foul words as she left for college, and the freedom she finally felt when she got there. She thought about Jackson the first boy she had ever kissed and the first boy Sam had thrown a punch at. She thought of her first day of middle school, mouthful of braces, and how Dean promised to kill anyone who made fun of her.

The memories of her life weren't all bad but her heart sunk as she thought about everything she would be missing out on. She would never graduate college. She would never meet the guy of her dreams, get married, or have children. Come to think of it, she would never see her brothers do any of those things either. She wondered if they had realized yet that she was gone.

Grace turned up the music, leaned back in the seat, and placed the cool metal against her temple. A single tear slipped down her cheek before she pulled the trigger.

Grace Winchester had been destined for greatness the second she was born. She was raised a hunter, raised with the notion that you did what was possible to save as many as you could. There was no way to save Grace but in taking herself out she might just have saved someone else and in her mind that made it all okay.


End file.
